Chapter Twenty One:The Fifth And The Last Child {Cont'd}

Later in
the evening, all of them started coming back from their various places of work
and school, Nina was happy that at least he won’t rape her. That day she also found out Jack had sex
with someone really close to her and she was very disappointed because this was
someone she looked up to.

Uncle
Jack started telling her cousins about his university and the pretty girls
there. When Zinny got back as usual he entered the room to watch her dress up
and acted as if he was telling her a story so she won’t ask him to excuse her…

Nina: Zinny, how was work?

Zinny: we thank God.

Uncle jack: zinny, I have
this friend that will really like you.

Nina: uncle, she’s dressing up, come back
later.

Uncle Jack: what’s your own? Eh-hen Zinny,
it’s a friend of mine that is
from a rich family.

Zinny; is that so?

Uncle Jack: yeah! He has
seen your picture, he likes you.

Zinny: okay, maybe I’ll meet him.

Zinny
didn’t know the kind of person
Jack was and since she loved money she didn’t care. The same person Jack wants to introduce her to liked Nina but
since Nina noticed that’s what he does at first;
introducing you to his friends as if he wants to connect you with them and when
you accept he’ll blackmail you with it or
make you feel like he’s doing you a favor so when
he ask to go to bed with you, you wouldn’t hesitate to give him, at least for people that didn’t mind…

Later at
night, they gathered for their night prayer and after it Uncle Jack entered the
room with Zinny and started telling her how he’s friend behaves, what he likes and dislikes. Nina was
thinking after the prayer that everyone would go to bed and she really wanted
to go to bed but she couldn’t because she didn’t know when Zinny would go
to bed and Uncle Jack would start his rubbish. So she decided to stay awake to
hear his mumbo-jumbo until Zinny is ready to sleep because she couldn’t ask him to leave because
it wasn’t her house meanwhile Zinny
was enjoying the conversation.

Finally
zinny decided to sleep and he left then Nina happily locked the door. The next
day Zinny got up for prayers but didn’t wake Nina so Nina kept sleeping then Uncle Jack entered the room and
was trying to touch her breast. Since the incident in her dad house, Nina has
always been alert and wasn’t sleeping deep anymore, if
someone drops even a pin she would know…

Nina:(feeling someone’s hands going to her breast
, at first she taught she was dreaming since she was sure she locked the room,
then remembering the night could be over, she woke up) hey, what are you doing
here?

Uncle Jack :( shocked that
she woke up so fast) uh, I wanted to wake you up for prayers.

Nina :( waking up) okay, I’m awake now.

She went
for her prayers and was shocked that even in the morning he can still enter the
room and disturb her sleep. Therefore she made sure she goes to bed early and
wakes up when her cousins are waking up so that Jack won’t have any opportunity to
disturb her.

After the
prayers as usual Zinny went to work because she also works on Saturday while
her male cousins were at home. Nina went to the kitchen to wash the dishes
while she was washing Jack came along…

Uncle Jack: do you know
that all this work that you do is a form of exercise?

Nina: mmmhmm.

Uncle Jack: you are really
trying at least it will also help you shed some weight. How are your girls in
your school?

Nina: Why are you asking?

Uncle Jack: let me see if I
can visit that school.

Nina: you didn’t come for my matriculation
but you’ll come for fine girls?

Uncle Jack: no, is not like
that. I was very busy that day that I couldn’t make it.

Nina: yeah right! Like you
wanted to come.

Uncle Jack: seriously, I
wanted to come.

Nina: whatever!

Uncle Jack: so are there
pretty girls there?

Nina: is there anywhere
there are no pretty girls?

Uncle: yeah,there are some places
you can’t find even one.

Nina: have you been there?

Uncle Jack: I don’t think so.

Nina: then how do you know?

Uncle Jack: it’s possible.

Nina: you don’t see, do not tell.

Uncle jack: I like to come
to your school, maybe I will when I have the time.

Nina: your business.

Uncle Jack: I went to Lagos
recently, I was with Sarah. Did you know Sarah is now a born again?

Nina: is she a born against
before?

Uncle Jack: seriously, Sarah
doesn’t wear trousers anymore.

Nina: maybe she took a
break from wearing trousers.

Uncle jack: it’s no break, your dad was
even forcing her to wear trousers even jewelries, and she said she doesn’t like them anymore.

Nina: I know she always
gives a straight face and preach about it when we wear trousers but she cannot
force us. After all, we’ve been dressing that way since childhood so why stop now?

Uncle Jack: I wonder! Do
you know your dad was saying that if it were you or Antonia that he would give
thanksgiving in church but that Sarah is too quiet and adding born again to it
would just make it worse. That she’ll turn to a moron and people would take advantage of her.

Nina: well I’m not surprised; I know he
has always known me to be a rebel. Me, Richard and Tonia.

Uncle jack: he doesn’t really see you that way,
he see you as really smart that’s why he said that, he don’t want you to know too much.

Nina: yeah, sure.

Uncle jack: your dad is
really funny, he took her to a shop where they sell trousers and jewelries and
bought her some. He told her to wear it, she wore it and he said “don’t you like how you look”? she said “ it beautiful but I’m not comfortable wearing
it”.

Nina: (laughing) what did
he now say?

Uncle Jack: he started
shouting “why are you not comfortable wearing them, you wear them before” and she said “I have repented” and he said “you don’t have to stop wearing
trousers to be born again” and she said “that’s how I want it

Nina: Sarah is such a drama
queen!

Uncle Jack: I’m telling you! They were
just arguing until he said “I knew it, is my brother’s wife, she has gotten Sarah into that her way of life. Your stepmom had
to take Sarah to a corner to talk to her, telling her that she doesn’t have to wear the jean
trousers in school that she should wear them while she at home then when she
goes back to school she can give it out or even give them to you.

Nina: is that what she’s doing?

Uncle jack: maybe, I didn’t stay around much to see
that.

Nina: Sarah is really
funny. She’s lucky my dad has her time unlike us that he doesn’t really care about.

Uncle jack: it’s not true, your dad is
proud of you. Have you not noticed when he wanted to enquire about the school
you guys did your West Africa examination council exam he always took you with
him. Because you dress well, you are presentable and you speak well.

Nina: he said all that?

Uncle Jack: he doesn’t have to, you can tell.

Nina: well, I just feel I
wasn’t pampered for once.

Uncle Jack: but it helped you.

Nina: sort of. Anyways, it
doesn’t matter now, I’m all grown up.

Uncle Jack: yeah, you are a
big girl now.

Anywhere Nina
goes, he follow her and conversing. Finally she was through with the house
chore then her Aunt called on her to prepare food for everyone. On Saturdays,
Zinny comes a little early from work, in the evening Nina’s Aunt prepares soup.
During weekends, they eat two times a day because that’s when most of them are at
home but on weekdays they eat ones, at night because that’s when most of them are
around except for the uncle during the week that works close to the house so
sometimes he ask Nina to prepare something for him and to remain for everyone to
eat when they get back. Why they cook like that is because they manage a lot.

Night came,
they said their prayers and Zinny was really tired and wanted to go to bed
early and Nina locked the room as usual and the next day was church, so Nina
woke up early as usual and went to church. Jack didn’t go and didn’t succeed in his escapade
but felt it’s because it’s Sunday that he would
still have his way.